wabisabi
I found this glossary of Japanese terms on one of my favorite blogs; I like the random nature of the list yet I feel one could use all of these words in one day. I imagine that the kind of day that contains bentobako, neko, zabuton, and sudare, along with all the others, would be a very nice day.
- akari (明かり) – lamp or light
- aki (秋) – autumn
- bentobako (弁当箱) – bento box
- bokeh – photographic term from verb boke (暈け) meaning out-of-focus
- chawan (茶わん) – tea bowl
- daikon (大根) – giant japanese radish
- furoshiki (ふろしき) – cloth folded to wrap and carry
- genmai (玄米) – brown rice
- hanabi (花火) – fireworks
- itadakimasu (いただきます) – what you say before you eat
- kaki (柿) – persimmon
- kasa (傘) – umbrella
- kissaten (喫茶店) – coffee shop
- kohii (コーヒー) – coffee
- kotatsu (炬燵)- low table with heating and blanket built-in
- kyara (キャラ) – popular character from anime, manga
- machiya (町家) – traditional kyoto townhouse
- meishi (名刺) – business card
- mingei (民藝) – folkart
- minshuku (民宿) – family-run accommodation/guest house
- neko (猫) – cat
- noren (暖簾) – door curtain
- obi (帯) – silk kimono sash
- ofuro (お風呂) – bath
- omiyage (おみやげ) – souvenir
- onigiri (おにぎり) – rice ball
- sento (せんと) – local public bath
- shiso (しそ) – japanese herb, sometimes referred to as perilla
- shoji (障子) – wooden lattice and paper sliding doors
- shokubutsu (植物) – plant
- sudare (簾) -bamboo curtain
- tansu (たんす) – set of drawers
- tawashi (たわし) – scrubber of pots
- tenugui (手ぬぐい) – printed cloth for drying, wiping, hand towel
- tetsugaku (哲学) – philosophy
- tokonoma (床の間) – raised alcove in tatami room
- tsubaki (椿) – camellia
- tsukemono (漬け物) – japanese pickle
- uchiwa (うちわ) – japanese non-folding fan
- wabisabi (わびさび) – aesthetic of beauty in simplicity and imperfection
- wakame (わかめ) – seaweed often used in salad and soups
- washi (和紙) – japanese paper
- yakimono (焼き物) – pottery
- zabuton (座布団) – floor cushion
Oakland Etsuko 